James Ibori bags 13 years jail in London

James Onanefe Ibori, one of the most flamboyant Nigerian millionaires whose activities tantamount to unhealthy sabotage of Nigeria’s economy has been sentenced to 13 years jail term in the United Kingdom.

He was sentenced by a London Crown Court sitting in the Borough of Southwark on Tueday afternoon.

Southwark Crown Court Judge Pitts sentenced Ibori to 13 years in prison for money laundering after protracted legal exchanges which saw Ibori’s lawyers pleading for leniency and the prosecutor arguing that he had lived a dodgy life which ad made him grow from amateur money grabber to big time to fraudster.

The judge said that he “recognizes that there is another side to the man James ibori but he is not the proper person to judge your achievements and failings as a governor, that is up to the people of delta state”

Judge Pitts: None of the sentencing guidelines even get close to the amounts in your case

As the judge voiced out pronouncing his judgement, Ibori was a long distance from his erstwhile confident composure, looking downcast and nervous and suddenly becoming a coward as he dropped his head in amazement.

The judge said he had saved him the embarrassment of a long sentence saying that if he had fought the case he would have been handed at least 24 years. The judge he was giving him a discount for pleading guilty. He then handed a 13 year committal to prison.

James Ibp

The Judge deducted a total of 645 days already spent in jail, says Ibori would serve the rest in British jail. That means Mr. Ibori will be in prison for at least 7 years.

The Court has commenced a confiscation hearings and will file documentations regarding soon.

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